The Choice has invited Marie Bigham, a former college admissions officer and veteran college counselor, and
Mark Kantrowitz, a financial-aid expert, to answer your questions about comparing financial aid offers and deciding where to enroll in the blog’s virtual Guidance Office, a forum for college applicants and their families seeking expert advice.

The moderated Q. and A. session, which began on Monday, concludes with this post.

In this fifth and final installment of answers, the panelists respond to questions about replacing need-based aid with merit aid, the benefits of the International Baccalaureate program, how to calculate your expected family contribution, and options for undecided students.

Some questions, and answers, below have been edited, including for length and style. — Tanya Abrams

Replacing Need-Based Aid With Merit Aid

Q.

My daughter has just accepted an offer of admission to a college that gave her a large, no-loan, financial aid package including both merit-based and need-based aid. She is also a National Merit finalist, and the college is a sponsor of the National Merit Scholarship. We learned through a call to the financial aid office that they will give her the National Merit Scholarship, but at the same time will reduce her need-based aid by the same amount. Her total award would be no different, therefore, with or without the National Merit Scholarship. I feel that this is reasonable; she however, sees it differently. Can you help us make sense of this? Is it common practice, and is it fair?

The Choice has invited Marie Bigham, a former college admissions officer and veteran college counselor, and
Mark Kantrowitz, a financial aid expert, to answer your questions about comparing financial aid offers and deciding where to enroll in the blog’s virtual Guidance Office, a forum for college applicants and their families seeking expert advice.

The moderated Q. and A. session, which began Monday, will continue throughout the week.

In this fourth installment of answers, the panelists respond to questions about comparing specific schools, whether parents should forbid their children to choose an expensive college, and work-study options.

Some questions and answers have been edited, including for length and style. — Tanya Abrams

N.Y.U., Northeastern or Rutgers?

Q.

What is best for a chemical engineering major? Going to New York University and taking out $80,000 to $90,000 in loans for a five-year program with bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biomedical engineering? Going to Northeastern and taking out $25,000 to $30,000 in loans for a chemical engineering honors, five-year co-op program? Or going to Rutgers, no loans, for its chemical engineering honors program with a minor or extracurricular program in television and film? Please advise.

The Choice has invited Marie Bigham, a former college admissions officer and veteran college counselor, and
Mark Kantrowitz, a financial-aid expert, to answer your questions about comparing financial aid offers and deciding where to enroll in the blog’s virtual Guidance Office, a forum for college applicants and their families seeking expert advice.

The moderated Q. and A. session, which began Monday, will continue throughout the week.

In this third installment of answers, the panelists respond to questions about the importance of college rankings, choosing a college near a boyfriend and calculating a family’s expected contribution.

Some questions, and answers, below have been edited, including for length and style. — Tanya Abrams

How much should prestige factor into the decision-making process? I’ve been accepted to two top 10 graduate programs in my field. One is in the Ivy League and will likely leave me with a tab of around $120,000 to $130,000 of debt. The other is a reputable school in Washington that would leave me with roughly half that debt. The more expensive school is ranked higher. It’s also in New York, which brings a higher cost of living. Is the name brand and a few more spots up in ranking worth twice the cost?

The Choice has invited Marie Bigham, a former college admissions officer and veteran college counselor, and
Mark Kantrowitz, a financial aid expert, to answer your questions about comparing financial aid offers and deciding where to enroll in the blog’s virtual Guidance Office, a forum for college applicants and their families seeking expert advice.

The moderated Q. and A. session, which began Monday, will continue throughout the week.

In this second installment of answers, the panelists respond to questions about choosing between a private university and a more affordable state school, and the value of universities that are not in the Ivy League.

Some questions and answers have been edited for length and style. — Tanya Abrams

Private University vs. State Institution

Q.

My son’s top choice happens to be the most expensive (private) school. Even though it has the best offer of aid, the out-of-pocket cost would still be $40,000 to $45,000 a year. As a middle-class mother (not rich, not poor), how do we compare that with a state school where the overall cost would be $25,000 a year? I think the experience, education and connections would be superior at the expensive private school, and my son would be more likely to graduate in four years. But is it worth $80,000 more over four years?

— CA mom

Q.

I got into New York University, but even with a Pell Grant and scholarships, I would still have to pay around $36,000 a year. Most likely, I would have to take out loans. I could take a gamble and enter N.Y.U. and search for scholarships, or I could attend a University of California school back home that costs excessively less. I got into the nursing school at N.Y.U. My only problem is that at the University of California at Santa Barbara, there are no nursing courses. However, at N.Y.U., I could go directly into its five-year program. I also don’t want to be in so much debt.

The Choice has invited Marie Bigham, a former college admissions officer and veteran college counselor, and
Mark Kantrowitz, a financial aid expert, to answer your questions about comparing financial aid offers and deciding where to enroll in the blog’s virtual Guidance Office, a forum for college applicants and their families seeking expert advice.

The moderated Q. and A. session, which begins Monday, will continue throughout the week.

In this first installment of answers, the panelists respond to questions about choosing a college based on its prestige, choosing an undergraduate program based on graduate school goals, and reporting financial hardships.

Some questions, and answers, below have been edited, including for length and style. — Tanya Abrams

Higher Grades vs. More Prestige

Q.

My son’s focus has changed since he applied to schools. He was rejected by three (one with an invitation to apply as a transfer next year), accepted by three, and is awaiting one rolling admission decision. He now wants to apply to transfer to five schools that were not even on his radar last fall.

In your opinion should he go to a smaller, less prestigious school where he can presumably get higher grades and get to know professors well for recommendations, or go to a larger, more prestigious school?

To help readers of The Choice navigate this often complex part of the financial aid process, we have invited Mark Kantrowitz, the publisher of FinAid.org and FastWeb.com, to answer select reader questions about the Fafsa in the blog’s Guidance Office, a forum for college applicants and their families seeking expert advice.

In this sixth installment of answers, Mr. Kantrowitz responds to questions about hiring a professional to complete the Fafsa, sending the form to additional schools, what to do if a divorced parent refuses to support their child’s college education, and whether wealthy parents should complete the Fafsa.

Some questions, and answers, below have been edited, including for length and style. — Tanya Abrams

Hiring a Professional

Q.

There seems to be so many gotchas with filling out the Fafsa. Is it worth getting a professional to fill and/or review the Fafsa, considering a mistake on the form may cost you getting less or no assistance?

To help readers of The Choice navigate this often complex part of the financial aid process, we have invited Mark Kantrowitz, the publisher of FinAid.org and FastWeb.com, to answer select reader questions about the Fafsa in the blog’s Guidance Office, a forum for college applicants and their families seeking expert advice.

In this fifth installment of answers, Mr. Kantrowitz responds to questions about how the Fafsa may affect admissions at schools that are not need-blind, how married students should complete the form, whether male students are required to register for Selective Service to qualify for aid, increasing aid eligibility, using the I.R.S. data retrieval tool, and how grandparents complete the Fafsa as legal guardians of the student.

Some questions, and answers, below have been edited, including for length and style. — Tanya Abrams

Not Seeking Aid, but Filing the Fafsa

Q.

It seems that we will not be eligible for financial aid based on our income and having only one child in college. In this case, it seems best to not apply for financial aid, since many schools are not need-blind. But if we check the box stating we are not seeking financial aid, does that mean we cannot file a Fafsa to make ourselves eligible for student loans?

— Tracy

A.

If you check a box on a college’s financial aid form to indicate that you are not seeking financial aid, you can still file the Fafsa to make yourself eligible for student loans. If you do not list the college on your Fafsa, they will not initially receive the data from the Fafsa.Read more…

To help readers of The Choice navigate this often complex part of the financial aid process, we have invited Mark Kantrowitz, the publisher of FinAid.org and FastWeb.com, to answer select reader questions about the Fafsa in the blog’s Guidance Office, a forum for college applicants and their families seeking expert advice.

In this third installment of answers, Mr. Kantrowitz responds to questions about how to report large monetary gifts and 529 college savings plans on the Fafsa, and how to update the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, another important component of the financial aid process. He also provides financial aid advice for high school freshmen and international students.

Some questions, and answers, below have been edited, including for length and style. — Tanya Abrams

Reporting Monetary Gifts

Q.

My husband received a monetary gift of $20,000 from his father. We were told by our tax people that, since it was a one-time gift, we do not need to claim it on our taxes. So this money will not show up in our taxes. Do we need to report this income on my son’s Fafsa? The gift was to my husband, not my son.Read more…

To help readers of The Choice navigate this often complex part of the financial aid process, we have invited Mark Kantrowitz, the publisher of FinAid.org and FastWeb.com, to answer select reader questions about the Fafsa in the blog’s Guidance Office, a forum for college applicants and their families seeking expert advice.

In this second installment of answers, Mr. Kantrowitz responds to questions about whether to wait for tax returns before filing the Fafsa, how to send Fafsa data to more than 10 colleges and how same-sex parents should complete the form. His responses will continue each day throughout this week.

Some questions, and answers, below have been edited, including for length and style. — Tanya Abrams

Waiting for Tax Returns

Q.

My daughter has been accepted to a private college. They advised us that it is better to send in the Fafsa after the 2012 tax returns are in. Is it better to wait until mid-February? Also, can I transfer the tax return info automatically to the Fafsa? Thank you.Read more…

To help readers of The Choice navigate this often complex part of the financial aid process, we have invited Mark Kantrowitz, the publisher of FinAid.org and FastWeb.com, to answer select reader questions about Fafsa in the blog’s Guidance Office, a forum for college applicants and their families seeking expert advice.

In this first installment of answers, Mr. Kantrowitz responds to questions about income eligibility for need-based financial aid, changes in family income and how the number of siblings in college may improve a student’s chances for financial aid. His responses will continue each day throughout this week.